Some shop tools for hewing bowls

Here are a couple of Northwest Indian style adzes and hook knives I made for carving bowls. The blades are forged from steel by me in my shop from leaf springs and old lawnmower blades, and hone to a razor polished edge. They cut with very little effort and leave a very nice surface. I used them to make bowls like this spalted apple rough out in the last picture.

The blades are bound with seine twine, which is impregnated with tar to withstand salt water (it is used for fishing nets). Making tools is almost as much fun as using tools…

Great looking small adzes. I have make my own hook knives, but had not tried an adz because I could not figure out how to make an eye for the handle, but your method of fastening the small adz to a handle would work good for small work, so I will have to try it. Thank you for sharing.

1.) The irons probably need to be 1/4” and taper to an edge. Any thinner and they bend. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to have the extra weight.

2.) I set them into a groove in the top of the handle. The handles are desert ironwood, so they are pretty heavy. (Mass is good). The groove keeps the irons from twisting, and you can see that the iron stands proud of the groove so that the seine twine can contact it to hold.

3.) I also carve a little tang at the back of the adze that sits in a little groove. I was experimenting with how to hold the irons (also have one with a hose clamp). Putting the little tang at the back of the iron keeps the back end from lifting out.

If I was to take the best of the three that I made and what I have learned (and I will..I have another iron in the fire!) I would do as follows:

Shorten the handles about 3”

Heavier irons (1/4”)

Longer irons for more mass in the head and lashing surface

No screws or hose clamps (work great, looks terrible)

FYI- The amount of “metalworking skills required are very little. If you own a plumbers torch, a heavy hammer, and something to hit it on (I have a section of railroad track)... you can do this.